Host
by Selective scifi junkie
Summary: While offworld, SG1 encounter a threat assumed dead by everyone. T for grief and one flash of romance. Edit complete, critique still welcome.
1. Chapter 1

**Summary**: While offworld, SG1 encounter a threat, a threat presumed dead by everyone.

**Set:** Season 3

**Spoilers:** In the line of duty, Jolinar's memories, Devil you know.

**Genre: **Angst and Friendship mostly.

**Rating: **T for one tiny flash of romance and liberal angst.

Host

Sam took a confident step through the Stargate, half a pace behind Colonel O'Neil and Teal'c. On the far side, she looked quickly around, P-90 half raised, then walked over to the MALP, taking in her surrounding properly. It was a forested planet, no sign of civilised life. The MALP read 65ºF. She registered this just as Daniel emerged from the gate, which closed behind him. She didn't turn until she heard him yell.

A woman, a young, fair haired woman had hold of Daniel by the neck with her right arm, at the end of which a knife touched his throat. Daniel's pistol was in her left hand and pointing at Teal'c

"Kri heth awrth, na shak mel."

"She says if you come any closer, she'll kill me." Daniel rasped, the woman was evidently half strangling him.

"His translation is good." The woman said quietly. "Why are you here? This one is neither Goa'uld, nor Jaffa. Is he a prisoner? Whom do you serve? Apophis?"

"No." Daniel gasped, the woman loosened her grip so that he could speak, the woman Sam now realised looked strangely familiar. "We're peaceful explorers from a planet called Earth; you might call it the Tau'ri."

"You're well armed though, and you're as likely to find a peaceful Jaffa as a benevolent System Lord. He," She jerked the gun at Teal'c, "is definitely Jaffa." She gazed hard at Colonel O'Neil for a moment, then turned her eyes on Sam and gasped.

"You have been a host. I sense it. Who was it, Goa'uld or Tok'ra?" A silence. The strange tightened her grip on Daniel again. "Goa'uld or Tok'ra?"

"Tok'ra." Sam replied for Daniel's sake "Who are you? I recognise you."

"I've never set eyes on you in my life."

"Jollinar has." The stranger half gasped. "That's it, isn't it. Jollinar knew you."

"What do you know of the Tok'ra? Can you take me to them?"

"Why the hell should we if we can?"Colonel O'Neil interjected tired of being ignored. "You've got a member of my team by the neck."

"Which is exactly why you should. I am not afraid to kill; I have done it before many times. I give you my word that as soon as I see a Tok'ra I recognise, your friend walks free."

"How can we be certain that you will not attack the Tok'ra?" Teal'c followed O'Neil's lead. The woman looked steadily at him, then answered,

"You cannot. All I can do is ask her" Another head jerk, this time at Sam, "if she thinks Jollinar trusts me."

"Carter?"

"Absolutely, Sir, but should we trust her judgement?"

"If you do not," The woman cut in, "This man dies, even if you shoot me. The knife will still go in to him, pierce the artery and he will bleed to death in minutes."

"Alright. Carter, dial out." Sam obeyed the order a little reluctantly. She knew that Colonel O'Neil had trouble trusting the Tok'ra, and suspected that if the woman had demanded to be taken to Earth, he could probably have thought of a way to stop her without jeopardising Daniel. As it was, Sam couldn't. The woman was right about the knife's trajectory.

The gate opened.

"I'll go last."Said the woman. Sam approached the gate and, as her body skimmed the event horizon, she put a name to the stranger's face. Rosha. Rosha, host of Jolinar.


	2. Chapter 2

Host

Rosha followed them through the gate, still holding Daniel firmly, though no longer throttling him.

"Ring site." She said coldly. Still half-watching Rosha, the three quarters of SG1 which was free to move set off. Sam got as close to the Colonel as she dared, then murmured,

"Sir, I know who this woman is."

"Jolinar knew her?" He replied

"Yes, Sir, very well. I think she was Jolinar's host, she doesn't have a simbeyote now, but she did have. Sir, I'm sure that symbiote was Jolinar." As Sam said this, the ring site came into view and with it a Tok'ra. A lone, male, brown-haired Tok'ra, who had evidently just left the base.

"Hey, Marty!" Colonel O'Neil called out. Martouf turned with a look of mild bemusement, which turned to outright incomprehension as he caught sight of Rosha. Her hitherto cold, unfeeling face split into an expression of radiant joy. She called out to him and ran to him, passing Sam...

...Every part of her body ached. The pain was unceasing. If no one here cooperated, she would die and she knew it. She was leaning heavily on Saroush, unable to stand unaided now. It didn't look hopeful. The hard faces of the humans looked on her with resentment, almost fear.

"Let me remind you," Saroush shouted into the vicious wind, "of what you stand to gain: as much as four hundred years perfect health, freedom from hunger, thirst, and knowledge and wisdom beyond imagining." A small scuffle broke out. A girl, a fair-haired, skinny, ragged looking girl emerged. She couldn't have been more than 18.

"I'll do it." Her voice was cold, almost desperate. "I'll starve this winter anyway" Relief flooded her, as potent as the pain or cold...

...Sam blinked fiercely; the pain in her body was gone, as though it had never been there. Hang on, had it? No, that girl, that half starved girl had been Rosha. A flashback. Jolinar's memory of Rosha's choice to be a host. It had to be.

"I'm OK Jack. Does anyone have the faintest idea what's going on?" Daniel was evidently unhurt, his voice sounded normal

"Carter's got a theory." O'Neil answered, then called out "Do you feel like joining us by the way or are you just going to stand there?"

"Sorry Sir." She began to walk back towards the other three, turning her back on Rosha and Martouf, who were standing close together, speaking fast in Goa'uld. "I'm sure now. That woman is Rosha, Jolinar's host. I don't know why they split up, maybe hiding from the Ash'rak."

"I don't know about you Jack," Daniel said, "but I wanna know more, in spite of the fact she tried to strangle me."

"We're not due to report back for 24 hours." Sam started, "I'm sure General Hammond wouldn't mind us taking a look, they're our allies..." And of course she wanted to see her father, but she wasn't going to say that.

"Alright, alright, give it a rest you two. You're just too curious for your own damned good Daniel and Carter, I'm guessing you want to see Dad." Sam gave a slightly embarrassed smile. Colonel O'Neil knew her too well.

They covered the 50 metres between themselves and the two Tok'ra quickly, picking up Daniel's pistol and Rosha's knife, both of which she had dropped. Rosha began to look wary as they drew closer.

"Rosha, they're allies. You didn't need to threaten Doctor Jackson for them to bring you here." Martouf said as she tensed again.

"You know them by name? How long has this been going on? Who are they exactly?"Rosha queried, looking a little less frightened.

"They first made contact almost two years ago, an alliance was soon formed, but has yet to be formalised. As for who they are, Major Samantha Carter, Colonel O'Neil and Doctor Jackson of the Tau'ri and Teal'c formerly first prime of Apophis." Martouf indicated each member of SG1 as he named them. "This could be a long discussion, may I suggest that we return to the tunnels for safety?" The six of them shuffled closer together and next moment were enclosed by the opalescent crystals of the Tok'ra base.

"Next question," Rosha continued, "how did they find the Tok'ra? The Goa'uld have enough trouble, and they're more advanced than the Tau'ri."

"I guess, in a way," Sam felt qualified to answer that question, "Jolinar led us to them."

"Speaking of which," Rosha said, "where is she, Jolinar? She said she'd come back for me and in two and a half years she hasn't. She must have got rid of the Ash'rak by now."


	3. Chapter 3

**Point out any errors I've missed. I won't be offended at all, I promise.**

Host

The look Martouf gave Sam the next moment was one of desperation. It had just struck them both that Rosha had absolutely no idea what had happened to her symbiote, that Jollinar was dead. Rosha, not having seen their faces, was still speaking. Hoo boy. Sam had a feeling this was going to be rough.

"Did you find another host for her or is she in stasis? Is she on base now or is she in the field? Will she take me back as a host?" Oh God, she didn't know. She didn't know there was no way back. Not for her. Not ever. It was too late. The Ash'rak had done that.

"She... She..." Martouf started, "She's not here Rosha." but didn't have the strength to finish. He was still hurting too much. Sam knew how much Jollinar had feared for him, could only assume that it had been mutual.

"So where is she? When will she be back?" Rosha still hadn't realised that anything was wrong. Sam felt like she was waiting for a storm to break. She knew how much Rosha had meant to Jollinar, more even than her mate had. Martouf shot her a desperate glance. He wouldn't be able to do it. It was still too much for him. Sam drew breath slowly, then said,

"Jollinar died, Rosha, inside me. The Ash'rak killed her about two years ago. She died saving me." In the seconds it took Sam to say this, Rosha's expression was transformed from one of open curiosity to blank, uncomprehending horror.

"No...No" She choked out, breathing rising. Shock. "You lie!" There was no warning.

Sam felt herself fall backwards. Rosha's minimal form had slammed into her with incredible force, throwing Sam off balance and down. Sam felt the back of her head collide with the hard, unyielding crystal. All she could taste was her own blood. All she could see was Rosha, dancing in and out of focus. All she could hear were Rosha's screams of

"You lie! She can't be!" All she could feel was the throbbing white pain in her head and Rosha's frenzied blows, coming at her hard and fast.

It lasted maybe two seconds.

Martouf, Colonel O'Neil and Teal'c all acted at the same time. They lifted Rosha off Sam and carried her clear. The instant that Sam was out of her reach, she went limp as a rag doll and began to sob like a child. They put her down. She just lay where she'd fallen, weeping on the floor, keening softly. Colonel O'Neil turned away at once, saying,

"Carter, you alright?"

"'m fine Sir." Sam could still only just focus her eyes. God, Rosha hit hard. The fall and the second Rosha had had to strike at her dazed form had taken a toll on Sam. She'd had worse. She just needed a minute or two. Her head hurt like hell. She just needed a minute.

"You don't look fine, Sam." Daniel's voice put in concernedly. A form crouched down beside her. Colonel O'Neil? Probably. He raised an indistinctive hand.

"How many fingers?" Sam blinked hard, squinting. She was just dazed. She'd be fine.

"Three." She said with reasonable confidence.

"Took you a while to work it out though, didn't it?"

"'m fine Sir" Sam repeated, dragging him into focus. Good. She could see better now. She'd be OK in a minute. Colonel O'Neil ignored her assertion.

"That woman's nuts. What the hell did she do that for?" He had the discretion to lower his voice. Rosha's keening had died away. It was a rhetorical question, but Sam answered anyway.

"She didn't attack me out of spite, Sir. That must have been a hell of a shock."

"For you." Colonel O'Neil interjected. Sam pressed on.

"Look, Sir, she and Jollinar were very close. They'd been sharing all their thoughts, all their feelings for more than a century. It's got to hurt to lose someone you know so much about, who knows so much about you. When Jollinar left, they were almost a single being." Sam looked across at Rosha, she could see normally now, thank God. Rosha still wept unrestrainedly where she had fallen, silent now. Martouf crouched beside her, gently stroking her teary face. Daniel had crouched just behind Colonel O'Neil. Teal'c still stood between Sam and Rosha. Sam didn't think there was any need. Rosha wouldn't attack her again.

"Will someone please tell me what all the noise is about? Some of us down here are actually trying to ... Sam." Sam looked up and saw her father. He looked surprised and she couldn't blame him. SG1 turning up out of the blue with a woman on the `missing in action` list. He'd always said that that was code for `dead, but we don't have a body`. "OK," He continued, looking slowly around, "Now I really wanna know what's going on. Rosha's been assumed dead for half a year. What's happened to her? Secondly, Sam, what are you doing on the floor?"

"She's on the floor, Jacob," Colonel O'Neil answered before Sam could open her mouth, "because she," he indicated Rosha, "jumped on her."

"Sir," Sam interjected, "be fair." She had no idea why she was defending Rosha so readily, but she couldn't just see her accused like that.

"For crying out loud, Carter!" All you did was tell her the truth!" Sam let that remark go and addressed her father.

"We came across Rosha on P3X 717. She threatened Daniel, she didn't know who we were, and demanded to be brought to the Tok'ra. We brought her here, she saw Martouf and let Daniel go. We decided to follow and find out more. Once we were in here, she started asking where Jollinar was, she had no idea. I told her and she obviously took it hard." Sam got up rather unsteadily, more to prove that she was OK than because she thought it was a good idea. Her head screamed in protest. She ignored it. She was trying to hide how hard she'd been hit. She didn't need Colonel O'Neil any crosser. Rosha was merciless. She knew how to cause damage and didn't flinch from doing so. She could have done Sam a lot of damage if left to her own devices. Her initial attack had dazed Sam, then following blows to her abdomen had stolen any chance Sam might have had to fight back. She'd be bruised later.

Rosha had rolled onto her front, curled as if to shield herself from a beating. Martouf's hand still rested on her shoulder. No one else dared approach. Two sentences in Goa'uld, incomprehensible to Sam, escaped her.

"`Even in death we do not surrender` and `you will not be forgotten`" Daniel provided.

"Tok'ra funeral rite." Sam's dad said, indicating that the four of them should follow him down the tunnel, leaving Rosha and Martouf. "We can't hold one for Jollinar as there's no body"

Silence ensued as the five of them entered a deserted room, in the centre of which was a single desk, almost obscured by what looked like blueprints. As Teal'c crossed the threshold, Sam's father bowed his head. When her raised it, Selmac spoke.

"I suggested to Jacob that we leave the ring site because I would not have been surprised if Rosha became aggressive again. She has always been temperamental, at present she will be more so. She and Jollinar were very dependent on each other, even for a host-symbiote pair."

"I'd say she's unbalanced." Colonel O'Neil put in. "She's attacked two members of my team. How the hell do you know who she'll go for next?"

"Rosha is unshakably loyal to the Tok'ra. She had been rejected by her family through no fault of her own and left to starve. She is unlikely to be a danger to any of us and certainly not to Martouf. Once she has accepted the Tau'ri as allies, she will become more docile towards you."

"Not saying much."

"These appear to be schematics for a Goa'uld mothership." Teal'c who had been perusing the blueprints, spoke for the first time in several minutes. "For what do you intend to use them?"

"We have become concerned by the size of Apophi's fleet. I have been trying to discern a critical point from which an operative could strike and not become trapped." Selmac replied. "I became distracted by the sound of a fight and decided to let Jacob, as an Air Force officer, do the shouting." Sam turned her head away and grinned.

"Hey!" Her father had evidently re-taken control, "I saw that."


	4. Chapter 4

Host

Sam slipped into the corridor towards the ring site. No one knew where she was going. No one knew why she was going there. For that matter, neither did she. It was a very stupid idea for all she could see, but she couldn't not. Why? She didn't know, but it probably had something to do with Jolinar and the affinity she still felt for Rosha, in spite of her bruises.

Sam neared the ring site. Rosha still sat there, alone now. She didn't look round as Sam approached, facing the wall determinedly.

"Hey." Sam tried not to let her trepidation show in her voice. "Where did Martouf go?" She dropped into a crouch next to Rosha.

"Up." Rosha jerked her head coldly at the rings. "I asked to be left alone."

"Fair enough." Sam got the hint, but wasn't about to take it. There was a long silence. Rosha broke it.

"What in Netu are you doing? I attacked you." Rosha sounded almost angry at her.

"I guess I'm trying to make amends." Sam replied, sounding a lot more confident than she felt. Her caution of Rosha and her fear for her juxtaposed in her consciousness. Jolinar's emotions were so much stronger around the Tok'ra, so much harder to ignore. Sam knew she was being stupid, but couldn't leave Rosha to suffer. She just had to try and help her.

"You're wasting your time." Rosha snarled "You killed her." Sam shook her head,

"Rosha, I swear I didn't. The Ash'rak tried to kill us both, Jolinar gave up her life to save me. You know as well as I do that no one would be able to kill a symbiote they were blended with, it would be like killing yourself."

"I've heard of Goa'uld hosts effectively doing that." Rosha's voice was cold, determinedly unfeeling.

"Do you really believe Jolinar would have hurt her host that badly?" Rosha evidently had no answer for that, so changed tack.

"How do I know you were the host? How do I know it wasn't someone else who was a casualty because you didn't know how to kill one but not the other?"

"How would we have found the Tok'ra?" Sam asked "You know she'd have died before giving you up. And I know...things." Rosha looked down momentarily, wondering how best to test her, Sam guessed.

"Who's Martouf's mate?"

"You." Sam paused, "Jolinar. Kind of both."

"Selmac's host?"

"That's changed. It was Saroush when you were last here, now it's Jacob Carter, my father." Sam read Rosha's lack of response to both questions as a good sign. There was a longer pause before Rosha's next question.

"Why did I decide to be her host?"

"You said you had nothing to lose and that you'd starve anyway. I got that flashback when you ran to Martouf." Rosha closed her eyes and bowed her head, trying to hide fresh tears.

"You should have died."Her voice was cold and bitter. Sam felt a sympathy that might not have been hers surge in her chest as she nodded.

"Maybe I should have. I'm so sorry for what the Ash'rak did to Jolinar, and for what that's done to you. The only thing I can say in my defence is that I was helpless. Jolinar was the first Tok'ra we'd encountered, but I wasn't the first to become a host. The first guy started killing other people and didn't stop until we killed him. They thought I'd do the same so they sedated me and locked me up (once they'd worked out Jolinar was there). Jolinar explained and I vouched for her but who was gonna believe me? I was a host. When the Ash'rak showed up, we didn't have a chance. He decided to kill us slowly but someone intervened. We were both dying by that point. Jolinar gave up her life to save me." Rosha turned her head, looking at Sam for the first time since her return.

"What did the Ash'rak use?" She was still half crying.

"I don't know what it's called. Hand device, no finger bits, three crystals, each produce a beam, beams merge to make a stronger one, which hurts." Sam added truthfully. Rosha winced.

"What was the last thing she thought?"

"I'm sorry, I don't know. I was too far gone by that point. But the last thing she said was `know this, my death only feeds the fire that is the Tok'ra`. She knew exactly what was going to happen to her, but she was so strong. She was defiant for as long as I was conscious. I collapsed." Rosha's head was bowed again; she was fighting to keep her breath steady. "One more thing." Sam continued. "If you haven't noticed, I'm alone. If you decide to attack me, no one could pull you off and I won't yell for help. I can't promise I won't yell in pain though. You know where to hit and you hit hard."

"Why in Netu are you doing this?" Rosha sounded almost angry. "You're laying yourself open to me, I could kill you! There's no reason Socar could devise for you to do this.

"Maybe it's because there's a part of me that thinks it deserves it, that still thinks Jolinar's death was my fault."

Rosha gazed hard at Sam for a few seconds, then a hard, calculated blow struck the middle of Sam's chest, throwing her backwards onto the floor. Rosha bore down, fist drawn back, ready to strike again. Then she paused, looking down into Sam's face, her own wild, teeth bared, snarling. Then she turned away, tears forming in her eyes again.

"Her death really hurt you didn't it." Her voice cracked slightly. Sam nodded, beginning to sit up again.

"It was two days before I could even look at anyone. I hate to think how you must feel." There was a long silence. Rosha broke it.

"I hit you because I was angry. If you've seen anything, you'll know I've got the temper of... I... I just want to be alone for a while." Sam understood. She also though that was as close to an apology as anyone ever got from Rosha.

"OK, do you want me to get Martouf?"

"No." Sam didn't entirely believe Rosha on that count. "If you want to see him..."

"I know. Up." Sam gestured at the rings¸ then walked over to them.

Next moment, the crystals of the Tok'ra base vanished from around her, to be replaced by the planet's surface.


	5. Chapter 5

**Previous chapter leads in here, otherwise it really doesn't make sense. Thanks for reviews****.**

**This is where the romance flash shows up. It's not what you think and it's only fair to give warning. It's not explicit either. You'd see this in a 12 rated film without a doubt, probably a PG. **

Host

Next moment, the crystals of the Tok'ra base vanished from around her, to be replaced by the planet's surface. Dusk was beginning to fall. Sam looked around. Where might Martouf be? Her eyes began to search the darkening landscape...

...The night air was cool on her face. The sky above was spangled with brilliant stars. She lowered her eyes from them. Martouf. He was standing a short distance away, eyes fixed on her face. She began to walk towards him, pulse rising, anticipant. As she reached him, he turned to face away from the ring site. She moved her right hand into his left and they began to walk, their footfalls placed in unison and getting faster. They ran hand in hand, hearts racing, breathing fast, not from their pace. The shadows of trees began to flash past her vision. She and Martouf stopped. He turned to face her, so close. His hands were on her waist, hers on his shoulders. He moved his face close to hers...

...Sam blinked furiously, blushing in the darkness. She hadn't chosen to see that, but she felt she had pried, felt unclean and, above all else, felt embarrassed. That wasn't for her to see, it was a mercy it had ended when it had. Jolinar's thoughts at the time left Sam in no doubt of where that memory had been going.

Sam didn't know if she could face Martouf straight after that flashback, so she stood for a few moments, letting her head clear. When she felt she was ready, she set off. She couldn't justify, even to herself her choice of direction, but thought she should trust her instincts, or Jolinar's. Sure enough, as she crested a hill, she saw him, standing with his head bowed, lost in his own musings, his own pain.

"Martouf?" She called.

"Samantha." He turned to face her. "Why are you here?" He sounded more inquisitive than defensive.

"Looking for you. I figured Rosha could use some company, she's not admitting it though."

"You approached her?" The surprise, concern in his voice made Sam pause uncomfortably.

"Yeah, I did." She said in a rush, afraid of losing her courage. This was really awkward. She was standing alone, by night, with the mate of the deceased symbiote, a lot of who remained in her mind, discussing that symbiote's host. The flashback hadn't helped. It would have been bad enough if she didn't have a creeping suspicion that Martouf or Lantash ... one of them, had had or did have feelings for her, be that for her own sake or as a reaction to losing Jolinar.

"That was brave of you. Lantash believes it to be borderline reckless. Did she not attack you again?"

"Not really, she hit me once, then couldn't bring herself to do it again." Sam wasn't sure if she dared say what was on her mind, regarding what had passed between Martouf and Rosha since her return.

"Do you know why?" Martouf's voice jerked Sam out of her mental battle.

"I guess something told her that I hadn't wanted Jolinar dead." Sam decided that she did dare, drew a breath and said, "Martouf, did you tell her that you know about... about Netu?"

"No." Martouf's cold, defensive tone made it quite clear he understood what Sam meant by `_Netu_`. Lantash continued Martouf's started answer. "It changes nothing and telling her would distress her further. She need never know, it would only cause her pain, so we will not tell her."

"I was hoping you'd take that attitude. She's got enough to deal with right now." Sam was trying not to let the abrupt change from host to symbiote unsettle her. Next moment, Martouf had resumed control of his own body.

"You are more sympathetic towards Rosha than most would be in your position."

Sam shrugged. "I guess my... affinity for her was left by Jolinar, I hate seeing her like this. And I still can't shake the feeling I could have... I don't know. Done something."

Martouf shook his head. "Please, Samantha, do not. You could not have prevented..." He tailed off. "I will return to Rosha." He sounded, resigned, regretful. He caught the look on Sam's face and continued. "I cannot pretend this will be easy, Samantha. Rosha as I knew her, my mate, was one of two. When a Tok'ra blends with a host, their temperaments influence each other. Now that... Jolinar is gone, Rosha will have changed. Also, seeing Rosha grieving anew reopens my wound that is the loss of Jolinar. But I will do all I can for her." Sam smiled back at him.

"I knew you'd look after her." She turned and headed back for the ring site. He followed half a pace behind her.

**Yes, I know I threw myself in the shark pool. There's so much controversy over what the Sam/Martouf ship actually is that whatever I do, someone will tell me I'm being thick. It's just my opinion. I'm not saying that what I've got is right. Please review.**


	6. Chapter 6

Host

... The air stank of machinery. Her body felt heavy. She glanced around. Martouf was close behind her. On him, she saw more of the same thing that weighed her down. Explosives. They, she and Martouf had only one purpose: sabotage. Destroy as much of Ra's fleet as possible by setting the charges on a timer, then run like Socar was chasing you. She turned her head left then right, then began to run along a new passage. Along two more passages, still running, still sensing Martouf closes behind her, finally stopping in front of a sealed door. Martouf bowed his head. Lantash raised it and tore the code panel from the wall in a shower of brilliant sparks. He jerked an emerald green crystal from its place. The door opened. Naquadah generators. Twelve huge Naquadah generators stood before them. She and Martouf dropped to the floor and unstrapped the charges from their bodies. The next few motions were well rehearsed. Lock sections, square side down, place charge, eye contact, shields out, on feet, run.

They had five minutes until the substances in the bombs met and exploded. Sodium and Naquadah. Seven seconds after that, the explosion would reach critical levels and spread to the generators, from there, it would destroy the explosion would reach critical levels and spread to the generators, from there, it would destroy almost the entire fleet, and her and Lantash unless they covered the mile and a half to the Stargate before that. So they ran, side by side, unchallenged in this part of the complex, then out onto open ground. Staff blasts striking the ground behind them. Every breath tore at her lungs, ice in the heat of her body. Lantash was half a pace ahead of her as they reached the gate, the sound of pursuit close behind. Lantash stopped and began to dial a neutral location, panting as she was. As the gate opened, the distant noise of what was not thunder reached them. Both dived through the gate. It closed behind them. They looked at each other, breath still hard and raged. Both smiled in joyous realisation that Ra's fleet was no more...

...Sam blinked hard as she approached the ring site, wishing there was a way to control the flashbacks. Having one in the middle of a fire-fight could well be the death of her. Back inside the tunnels, she left Rosha to Martouf and returned to her father and the rest of her team.

"Told you she'd be fine." Her Father said as she entered. Colonel O'Neil snapped at her rather than replying to him.

"Carter, where the hell did you go?"

"Sorry, Sir." She replied a little guiltily. "I went to talk to Rosha." She offered by way of an explanation.

"Carter, have you gone nuts? She attacked you."

"She didn't hurt me, Sir." Not quite the truth.

"If she had, Carter, no one could have helped you."

"I know that, Sir."

"I'm wrapping this up. We should have gone back to P3X 717 as soon as she let go of Daniel, where we're meant to be. We got nothing out of the little detour aside a few bruises and we've got a job to do. I'm ordering the lot of you back to P3X 717, now."

**Yes, I know. Most inconclusive end ever. This thing ends properly in the sequel: Within (already posted). Host is a prequel rather than a plot in its own right in many ways.**


End file.
